Switch box holder



All2- 31 1948 E. D. DAvlsoN swI'rcH Box HOLDER Filed Dec. '7. 1945 Patented Aug. 31, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SWITCH BOX HOLDER Edward D. Davison, Waukegan, lll. Application December 7, 1945, Serial No. 633,506

`1 Claim. l

This invention relates to switch box holders for retaining wall switch boxes against displacement when installed in walls constructed of wallboard or in lath and plaster walls.

The primary purpose of my invention is to provide a holder of this character which will hold a switch box securely in place and which can be quickly and easily installed.

I am aware that holders for boxes of this character hai/@heretofore been employed which consist of metal`strips`havingprojecting portions adapted to be inserted throughtwaiiboxopening and then moved endwise .to dispose the po jections behind the wall. Typical of holders of this character are those disclosed in United States Patents Nos. 1,816,584, issued July 28, 1931, and

'1,820,309, issued August 25, 1931.

The positioning of holders of this character requires that the extensions which are eventually bent over the forward edge of the box be grasped between the fingers of the installer and that the elongated body portion be inserted through the wall opening and then manipulated into holding position. This operation is time consuming and is somewhat diicult, and not infrequently during the manipulation the holder slips out of the grasp of the installer, drops down behind the wall, and is lost.

My invention aims to overcome the disadvantagesof holders of the type above described by providing a holder which can be installed by simply inserting one end thereof through the slot between the side wall of the switch box and the surrounding wall of the opening, whereupon a holding abutment of the holder springs outwardly into holding position, thereby locking th-e holder against withdrawal without any edgewise movement of the holder or any manipulation thereof whatsoever.`

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of my invention, I have illustrated on the accompanying drawing a preferred embodiment thereof, referring to which 4 Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a switch box disposed in a wall opening and held therein against displacement by means of a pair of -my improved holders;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view .on the line 2-2 of Fig. l, but with the frontplate (which was removed in Fig. l) in mounted position;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional viewon the line 3--3 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of my novel holders.

0n the drawing, reference character 5 indixthewallgopening by means of holders of novel constructio`n`dcsigned to be positioned albng the outside face of each `otlnrverlical walls of the box. Each holder comprises, as will be apparent from Fig. 4, a strip of metal shaped to provide a flat body i2 having one end reversely bent to provide a leaf I3 projecting at an acute angle from i the body and presenting along its free edge I4 an abutment adapted to engage the innerface of the wall 5. The opposite endof the strip is shaped to provide a pair of integral fingers I5 which are adapted to be bent inwardly over the outer edge of the box into the dotted line position shown in Fig. 4 to hold the box against outward movement in the wall opening. The metal strip forming the holder is of sheet metal possessing sufficient resiliency to cause the leaf I 3 to spring outwardly into the position illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 after it has been compressed against the body by being projected through the space between the wall of the box and the surrounding wall of the opening, but at the same time is sufficiently pliable to enable the fingers I5 to be readily bent over into holding position, which they will retain.

In mounting a switch box with my novel holders, the box is first placed in the position illustrated by being inserted through the opening 6 until the anges 8 engage the outer face of the wall, where-4 inwardly over the edge of the box into the dotted line position shown. A second holder is then lshoved through the wall opening on the other side of the box, pulled outwardly into snug engagement with the wall, and its fingers are similarly bent inwardly into holding position.

It will be obvious that in the `mounting no manipulation of the holders within the opening is necessary because, instead of being slid endwise to engage the holding abutments behind the wall as has been customary with the prior artV devices previously mentioned, the spring leaves i3 of my improved holder automatically assume their hold ing position as soon as they have been projected through the wall opening.v The diillculty of manipulating the holders within the opening and the liability of dropping them and losing them is accordingly entirely eliminated by the employment of my novel holders. When positioned as described, they securely hold the switch box in the desired position so that accidental displacement of the box is precluded.

The size, shape and proportions of a holder embodying my invention may obviously be varied within wide limits without exceeding the scope of my invention as defined in the following claim.

A switch box holder, comprising a body of sheet metal bent into V-shape, one leg of said V being provided with extensions forming holding fingers 4 adapted to be bent inwardly over the edge of a. box to be mounted, the free edge of the other leg serving as an abutment for engagement with the inner face of the wall adjacent the opening in which said box is mounted, and said other leg being yieldably displaoeable toward said one leg to permit the introduction of the holder in a. straight line movement between the box and the opposed face of a wall opening in which the box l@ is disposed.

EDWARD D. DAVISON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the w file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS l Number Name Date 1,662,422- Hodges Mar. 13, 1928 2,309,189 Hancock et al. Jan. 26, 15143 2,353,796 Tinnerman July 18, 1944 

